2016 New England Patriots season
The 2016 New England Patriots season was the franchise's 47th season in the National Football League, the 57th overall and the 17th under head coach Bill Belichick. During the season, the New England Patriots became the first team that originated from the American Football League to reach 500 franchise wins—regular season and playoffs—with their Week 12 win over the New York Jets.1 In Week 15, the Patriots clinched their eighth straight AFC East division title, and in doing so surpassed the 1979 Los Angeles Rams for most consecutive division titles.2 With their Week 17 win over the Miami Dolphins, the Patriots clinched home field advantage throughout the entire AFC playoffs and ended the regular season with a league-best record of 14–2.34 With their win over the Houston Texans in the Divisional Round, the Patriots advanced to the AFC Championship Game for the sixth consecutive year, surpassing the 1977 Oakland Raidersfor most consecutive appearances in conference championship games.5 After their win over the Pittsburgh Steelers in the AFC Championship Game, the Patriots became the first organization to clinch a ninth Super Bowl berth. They surpassed the Pittsburgh Steelers, Dallas Cowboys, and Denver Broncos who are all tied at 8.67 Furthermore, Bill Belichick broke the record for a head coach by coaching his seventh Super Bowl, breaking a tie with Don Shula.8 Patriots starting quarterback Tom Brady was suspended for the first four games of the season due to his alleged role in the Deflategate scandal.9 Under backup quarterbacks Jimmy Garoppolo and Jacoby Brissett, the team went 3–1 during Brady's suspension.10 During the season, Bill Belichick moved into fourth place on the list for most wins as a head coach,11 and Brady set the record for most wins by a starting quarterback (208 following the Super Bowl win).12 The Patriots were 8–0 on the road, matching a feat they first accomplished in the 2007 season; they are the seventh NFL team to accomplish this feat.13 The Patriots set a record for the most pass attempts by a team without an interception to start a season,14 and, collectively, Garoppolo, Brissett, and Brady combined to set a single season record for fewest interceptions thrown by a team, with just 2. Tom Brady also set the record for the best touchdown–interception ratio in a single season, with 28 touchdowns and 2 interceptions (a 14:1 ratio), breaking Nick Foles's mark of 27 touchdowns to 2 interceptions (13.5:1), set in 2013 while he was with the Philadelphia Eagles.15 Meanwhile, the defense led the league for fewest points allowed (250) for the first time since the 2003 season.1617 In Super Bowl LI, the Patriots rallied from a 28–3 deficit – with 2:12 left in the third quarter – to win in overtime, with a score of 34–28.18 This would be the franchise's fifth Super Bowl title.19 Super Bowl LI was the first Super Bowl to be decided in overtime and constituted the first time the winner erased a deficit higher than ten points.20 This would also be a record fifth Super Bowl victory for the Brady–Belichick quarterback-head coach combo.21 For Tom Brady, this would be his fifth. With the Super Bowl win, he broke his tie with hall of fame quarterbacks Joe Montana and Terry Bradshaw who both have four wins each.22 Moreover, head coach Bill Belichick's fifth Super Bowl meant he surpassed Hall of Fame coach Chuck Noll (4) for most wins in the Super Bowl by a head coach.23